Novak Djokovic taken aback by opponent and Serb has Roger Federer in his sights

Novak Djokovic was "surprised" by Nuno Borges' performance at the Hellenic Championship in Greece on Thursday as the Serbian booked his place in his 199th Tour-level semi-final. The veteran is now just 13 semi-final appearances away from surpassing Roger Federer's record, with the Swiss star appearing in 211 last-four matches throughout his career.

Djokovic entered the Hellenic Championship, which is an ATP 250 event, after moving to Athens with his family earlier this year. The 38-year-old's brother is the tournament director, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion playing his first-ever professional tennis match in Greece earlier this week when he took on Alejandro Tabilo at the event.

Djokovic faced two break points while serving at 4-4 in the opening set against Borges as his Portuguese opponent sensed an upset.

But the world No. 5 held his nerve to win the game before taking the opening set on a tiebreak. He then battled through the second set to secure a 7-6, 6-4 victory.

Djokovic faced a tiebreak in his opening match as well as he eventually got the better of Tabilo on Tuesday.

And commenting on his showdown with Borges, the blockbuster star explained: "It was a very physical battle. I thought that Nuno played on a very high level. I must say, honestly, I was a bit surprised with how good he played.

"I think we went toe-to-toe for most of the match, and just a few points determined the winner today. So he deserves a big applause for his performance.

"I just tried to hang in there. Obviously serving well always helps in the important moments. I think it was 5-5, or 4-4 in the first set, I faced two break points and had big serves - sometimes risks pay off in the big moments and you just have to trust your instincts and go for it.

"Then I played a good tiebreak. There weren't many opportunities for both of us to break - I think that game I broke him was the only game I was able to break.

"All in all, very pleased with the performance. I want to thank everybody for showing up and supporting both of us tonight."

Djokovic will be hoping to move past Federer in the all-time semi-final appearances pecking order and could achieve the feat as early as next year.

But he will need to appear in a lot more last-four matches to topple Jimmy Connors at the top of the leaderboard. Connors, who won eight Grand Slam singles titles, appeared in a staggering 239 semi-finals before bringing his career to an end in 1996.